Run,Max,Run
by lucifer3
Summary: based on Run,Lola,Run, max has 20 minutes to save Logans life
1. Chapter one

authors note: this fic is a response to fanfic challenge 4, take a movie,book or video game, and transfer it to dark angel. i picked the movie run,lola,run. it's a really good movie, and you should watch it, it might help you to understand what's going on. and its my first fic, so a review would be much appreciated. i think i fixed the problem, and am now re- uploading the chapters, with maybe a holiday bonus.  
  
Run,Max,Run  
  
Running One  
  
It was pouring. It was beyond pouring, and the phrase 'looking like a drowned cat' was the perfect description of Max's condition. And now, of course, there was Logan looking incredibly sexy thanks to his new haircut and contacts. Since she was self-conscious of her now see-through shirt, Max decided on the time-honored method of hiding it.  
  
"So, Logan, did Eye's Only take up a collection? Because I was starting to get worried that you'd never be able to afford a haircut."  
  
Why? Why did she have to be wearing white? Please God, I haven't been that bad. But then again, this might be a reward... "Actually, as sexy as my new haircut makes me look, that wasn't the reason I paged you."  
  
"If you say I'm needed for Eye's Only, you won't have to ever worry about a haircut again, or contacts, considering your head will no longer be attached." As she was talking, Max headed towards Logan's bathroom; his less-than-subtle stares had alerted her to her condition.  
  
At her disappearance, Logan could relax. Threatening Max he could deal with; Max who might as well be wearing nothing was beyond any man's control. "Well, actually this is a new Eye's Only mission..." At Max's growl, he decided he better speed up the rest of the sentence. "It's from the new division; the teaching of transgenics about Pre-Pulse movies. How about it? Today's mission: the beauty of true love, men who repeat phrases many, many times, and giants who rhyme. I am, of course, talking about that classic, the Princess Bride."  
  
Max relaxed; she had been afraid for a minute that the audience would have to learn yet another d-word: decapitation. She was already sold, but she decided to get the most out of it. "Well, I did have plans to meet someone at the Crash..."  
  
'Oh, God, why did she have to mention Rafer?'  
  
'Oh, shit, what if he thinks I meant Rafer?'  
  
Max decided to remedy the situation. "Yeah, Sketchy beens bitchin that I don't spend enough time with my poor friends. So I thought I'd go get him drunk and then drag him home to prove how much he means to me."  
  
'Oh, thank God, now, what to do to get her to stay?' "Did I mention the buttered popcorn? And the nachos? And the soda? Or wine, whatever you prefer." There, that didn't sound like I was saying anything to get her to stay, did it?  
  
Max laughed. Logan was so adorable when he was desperate. Max tapped her cheek thoughtfully, as if she had to think about a choice like that. "Well, hmm. This is a dilemma. Projectile vomiting Sketchy, or great food and a man who won't spend the entire night coming up with ways for me to make money for him... What a difficult decision. I'll stay for the Princess Bride."  
  
The rest of the preparations went surprisingly well; they didn't even mention the virus, and their conversation was easy and not at all awkward.. That part came later.  
  
Everything was going great. They'd had a few friendly popcorn fights, and had even managed to sit on the same couch. Max knew it was too good to last; too much of the movie had reflected their own lives. True love, one half disappears only to return and find their love with another. But that, like the situation with Rafer and Asha, was not what it seemed. 'Fuck, why'd he have to pick this movie. I mean, it's a great movie, but there's going to be a triumphant kiss. There's ALWAYS a triumphant kiss, and I don't think I can take that with Logan right next to me...'  
  
Alas, as we all know, there was a triumphant kiss. For the movie, and for Logan and Max. The moment their lips touched, everything else was forgotten. That kiss was what all the tension had been building to, and they were both mostly human. As they pulled away, it hit them: They had forgotten the virus.  
  
"Logan! Oh, my God, Logan!"  
  
"Max, it's okay, it's okay, Max, look, nothing's happening." He held up his hand to prove it. The motion should have sated her fears; should have, except now his hand was covered in blisters that were spreading.  
  
"Logan, listen to me. How much time do we have?"  
  
"I think we have, twenty minutes. Yes, twenty minutes was how long it took last time."  
  
"Okay, okay. Think. Who might be able to help?"  
  
Max thought furiously as mental images of each person went through her head. 'Zack, Lydecker, Renfroe, Tinga, Jace, Original Cindy, Alec, Jhondie, Lydecker, Bling, Sebastian, Lydecker, Dr.Carr, Lydecker, Joshua, Lydecker. Lydecker, he should know what to do.'  
  
"Logan? Can you hear me? Stay here,don't move. Try and conserve your energy."  
  
Max took one last look at him before she ran out the door. Deciding that she couldn't handle the elevator right now, she took off for the stairs. Thirteen flights down, and one to go, Max was debating the wisdom of her decision. Sure, it kept her from going insane inside a closed box and allowed her to seem productive, but it was wasting energy and probably time.  
  
She didn't have time to wait for the automatic doors to open; she figured the people living there could take a collection and repair them later. Where was Lydecker? Where did he live now, anyway? She was moving before her mind had even made a decision. Sometimes it was helpful to have a subconscious that was quicker than you knew. She was a super soldier, there was no reason for her to be sweating and breathing hard. Then she realized it was worry, not her physical condition. Why the fuck did they have to kiss? How stupid could they be? Next time, she vowed to herself, we're going to watch an action movie. We just got carried away due to the sheer mushiness of that movie. She kept track of the time in her head. It seemed to be going by too fast. What happened to time going slow during bad moments? This had to be one of the worst moments, and there went time flying by. As Max passed the church she threw a quick prayer at it, hoping God took rush miracles.  
  
Less than a minute away, she ran into this sleazebag on a bike.  
  
"Hey, chica, you're way too hot to be running. How about a ride? First on my bike, then on me?"  
  
Max managed to get an "Eat shit" out, which she was quite proud of. It was suddenly hard to breath, and she wasn't sure if it was her blind rage at the asshole that was making her breathless, or if the flat-out running was starting to get to her. The guy on the bike was aparrently so amazed to have been turned down, he rode straight into the wall. Max,,it is sad to say, wasn't sorry one damn little bit.  
  
A Hispanic/African American woman walked into the Manticore drawing cave and looked around cautiously. Her eyes come to rest on a sleeping figure in the corner of the room.  
  
"Don?" Her voice was shaky, it was unbelievable how nervous she was. He was her love, they were going to be reunited, what was there to be nervous about? Aside from rejection, anger,disappointment, and his lack of memory or love, nothing. But it was everything, he was her life, her happiness.  
  
"Antoinette, honey, I swear it was only one or two drinks. I think." Lydecker then proceeded to roll over and fall back asleep.  
  
Dammit! He had promised to stop drinking... oh, that was twenty years ago. 'God, I've missed him.'  
  
" No, Don. I wanted to talk to you about something else. Sweetie, I came back." 


	2. chapter two

Running One. Part 2  
  
It took a few moments for the fact that his dead wife was talking to him, telling him she was back, to sink in. He bolted to his feet, instantly sober. For the most part, after he threw up a few times and had a cup of coffee.  
  
"Love? What are you doing here?" He tenderly stroked her face, his own face rid of all the usual wrinkles. He had nothing left to worry about, she was back. He could smile again.  
  
"I survived, Don. When you took me to the hospital, you thought it was just a gesture, but it worked. Only you didn't know. They told you, but you wouldn't listen. Too drunk, I guess." As she was talking, there were tears running down her cheeks, soft but happy. It was impossible; here she was, talking to Don. Why hadn't she come back to this sooner?  
  
"I guess I was. I don't remember much of that time. I remember punching an officer, because he had said something about you."  
  
"I missed you, Deck. But I never came back, because I was afraid, since you obviously didn't care enough to come back."  
  
"Oh, no, honey. I loved you so much I couldn't stand it not to be true. I couldn't take it if it was just a drunken fantasy." He hugged her tightly, tears of his own streaking his face.  
  
She backed up a few steps, and made him look at her; she had a few questions herself. "Don, baby, what happened to the baby? I woke up, and they said you had taken it."  
  
Donald suddenly beamed at her; he had some good news for her, too. "I've got a surprise for you, we have a beautiful daughter. She looks just like you, her name is..."  
  
Max ran. She ran for her own small slice of forever, her mind stuck in an endless litany of her grievances.  
  
'How much farther? I have to be almost there, dammit! What if he didn't know? Who else can I go to?' Before Max could turn another corner, she had to run across an alley - an alley which held some mysterious black vehicles. As they pulled out, they came to a screeching halt. Max had cut directly in front of them, and it was against the drivers's nature to hit beautiful women. As they pulled out again, they forgot to look both ways, and two of the three hit an eighteen-wheeler. Max couldn't look back; she had to save Logan. She had finally found the cave, with only ten minutes left. As she walked in, she heard Deck talking to someone, and in case it wasn't safe, she decided to listen for a minute.  
  
"...and her name is Max. She takes after you so much - in attitude, looks, I think you'll really like her."  
  
'What the hell? Who is he talking to me about?' Suddenly, a woman's voice floated to where Max was standing.  
  
"I don't understand, Don. How was she born, and where did you raise her?"  
  
"I inserted the fetus into a surrogate mother, and raised her at Manticore." Don felt it would be too much to add a 'Surprise, love, our daughter is a super-soldier!'  
  
Max couldn't take it, she had to go in there.  
  
"So, Deck. Or is it Dad?" It was impossible to believe; her personal Anti-Christ also happened to be her dad. As Max stepped in, she took in the situation. A beautiful woman was standing less than a foot away from Lydecker, and Lydecker himself was looking younger than he ever had. He could almost be described as content, but that word couldn't be used in relation to a monster.  
  
The woman turned to face the new voice; the girl stepping into the cave was undeniably Antoinette's daughter. The girl was so beautiful, and had an obvious attitude. Antoinette liked her already.  
  
As the woman walked toward Max, she extended her hand slowly. She couldn't hug her yet, it was too much. "Hi, I'm Antoinette. Are you Max?"  
  
Max looked the woman up and down; physically, the two were almost identical. She couldn't deal with her supposed "mother" at the moment, so she focused on Deck again.  
  
"Well, Daddy Deck, are you going to tell this lovely lady how you raised me? And since she's probably not super-woman, I'm guessing my abilities aren't part of the family tree. So does she know about my modifications?"  
  
Antoinette turned toward Donald, the handshake forgotten. "How could you do that to my child, Don? You raised her in that hell-hole?! I thought you knew me well enough to know that I wouldn't hold with any child growing up in the military, much less my child!"  
  
Faced with the onslaught of two angry women, Lydecker headed for the hallway, dragging Max with him.  
  
"Now, 452, why did you come? I'm guessing it wasn't for a social visit." Donald settled for the brusque military persona, trying to hide his emotions.  
  
Unfortunately, Max knew that persona all too well. "452 is it? What happened to all those cute little nicknames daughters are supposed to have? Princess, maybe, or little lady. Never mind, we don't have time. I need the antidote." Now that Max was out of the room with her mother, she had remembered why she'd come. 'Fuck, why did I waste so much time with small talk? Logan could be dead!'  
  
"The antidote, Max? There isn't any more, it was all destroyed in the fire. What, you and the eyes getting desperate for some kissing?"  
  
"What do you mean, no more? Don't you at least know how to make a new batch?"  
  
"You forget, Max. I wasn't there, I have no idea how to fix up an antidote. Now go home. I already have to deal with my dead wife, I don't need you here too."  
  
'Dammit! I wasted 12 minutes looking for and talking with this guy,and now he doesn't even know?' "Not even a hint?"  
  
"Stop being a baby, Max. Just leave. You can do Logan more help just by being there. There's no hope for him now."  
  
Max sprinted out of the hole, tears of neither joy nor happiness streaming down her face. She had no choice but to go back to Logan's and hope that he had thought of something.  
  
Logan struggled across the room, making it at last to his desk. He couldn't take it. He could see where his future was going; even if Max did come up with the antidote, how could she ever come near him again? Their talks now were mere shadows of what they once had been, and with another close call like this it was doubtful that she would even show up. Their conversations would be limited to the phone. She might even go to Rafer, that son of a bitch. He opened the drawer, and pulled out his gun.  
  
It took her less time now, since she knew exactly where she was going. Max was also getting more and more desperate, giving her a little more speed. She was almost to the penthouse now, but she had less than two minutes. She was in such a hurry, she failed yet again to notice the black convoy now behind her.  
  
His eyesight was getting blurry, and it was becoming harder and harder to control his hands. He still managed to get the clip in, even turned the safety off. This virus was pure agony, but it was worth it to have that one perfect moment. He aimed the gun as the door flew open. 


	3. chapter three

Thank you for all the great reviews. sorry this took so long, but i was quite busy.  
  
This time Max used the elevator. She only made ten dents in it, too, showing amazing restraint. She ran into the apartment just to see Logan point a gun at his head.  
  
"LOGAN!" she cried as she ran toward him. All his control gone, Logan collapsed to the floor. Max reached him, and smoothed his hair as she whispered her love to him. She leaned over to give him a last kiss, when the door exploded from the amount of misuse it had suffered in the last twenty minutes.  
  
Over two dozen black-clad soldiers stormed in, with Renfro on their heels. She mock-sighed at the romantic picture Max and Logan made.  
  
"Now, how ironic is this? 452, oh, sorry, my mistake, Max, finally gets the man she wanted, and there he is, dead. What a pity, what a pity."  
  
"Shut up, you bitch! You put this thing in, you take it out."  
  
"Why else do you think I came? Just to gloat? It's an idea, but lately I've been thinking of turning over a new leaf. However, since no one in my profession can be all good, I have to ask for something in return."  
  
"Name it, and hurry."  
  
Renfro signaled to one of her men, who advanced on Logan and injected him with a clear liquid.  
  
"Oh, just your firstborn. And not just for the sinister, biblical way it sounds; we need a child on which to base future models."  
  
Max stepped closer to Renfro, trying to get a grip on what was going on. 'Do Logan and I actually have a chance?' The soldiers Renfro had brought, though, were wired tightly about having to face a trans-genic, and one particular amateur fired.  
  
Max fell backward slowly. The bullet had gone straight through her heart. Just as Logan was getting up, he saw Max fall. He was at her side in an instant, watching the life slip out of her eyes. He held her in his arms, taking up the role of whispering his love. Everything faded to red...  
  
*Flash to a cabin, a long time ago*  
  
Logan couldn't believe she was leaving him - she was his angel, he needed her! The music that was wafting through the air could not be more appropriate; this was the most devastating moment of his life.  
  
She didn't want to leave Logan, and she knew how much it was hurting him to just sit there in the car. She wanted to promise him something, but what did she have to give? She wasn't even sure what love was. Knowing what she had to do, she turned back to the car that held her strange man, and walked purposly toward him. She kissed him, trying to portray how much she needed him, and how she could never leave him,not permanently.  
  
"But Logan, I love you, and I promised you I wouldn't leave..." She desperatly needed him to understand this, she never really wanted to leave... 


	4. chapter four

Told ya there would be a holiday treat  
  
Max hit the ground.  
  
"Logan? Can you hear me? Stay here, don't move. Try and conserve your energy."  
  
Max took one last look at him before she ran out the door. Deciding that she couldn't handle the elevator right now, she took off for the stairs. As she was running, she couldn't stop imagining his face, and daydreaming about your love's face while running down the stairs is not recommended. Max tripped, and fell two floors closer to the bottom.  
  
Logan was roused from his semi-conscious state when he heard a thump coming from the stairs. Max was his only hope; if she didn't make it he was going to die. And Logan wasn't a man to just sit on the floor dying while waiting for his love to save him. He started making his way to the phone.  
  
As Max burst from the revolving doors of Fogle Towers, she realized that her knee was going to be a definite problem. It had been hurting since her fall down the stairs. She was a soldier, she had to pull it together to save Logan. Where was Lydecker? Where did he live now, anyway? She was moving before her mind had even made a decision; sometimes it's helpful to have a sub-conscious that's quicker than you know. She was a super soldier, there was no reason for her to be sweating and breathing hard. Then she realized it was worry, not her physical condition. Why the fuck did they have to touch? How stupid could they be? Next time, she vowed to herself, we're watching an action movie, we just got carried away because of that movie's sheer mushiness. She kept track of the time in her head; it seemed to be going by far too fast. What happened to time going slow during bad moments? This had to be one of the worst moments, and there went time flying by. As she passed the church she threw a quick prayer at it, hoping God took rush miracles.  
  
Less than a minute away, she ran into this sleazebag on a bike.  
  
"Hey, chica, you're way too hot to be running. How about a ride? First on my bike, then on me?"  
  
"Oh, sure, that'd be nice. Then maybe your wife could join us? What kind of asshole are you, hitting on someone when you're a married man?" 'I mean, come on. His wedding ring is showing like a spotlight on his finger.' Max had to slow down for a minute; her knee was really killing her. But she couldn't allow herself any more than that minute, Logan was depending on her.  
  
A Hispanic/African American woman walked into the Manticore cave and looked around cautiously. Her eyes came to rest on a sleeping figure in the corner of the room.  
  
"Don?" Her voice was shaky; it was unbelievable how nervous she was. He was her love, they were going to be reunited, what was there to be nervous about? Aside from rejection, anger, disappointment, and his lack of memory or love, nothing. But that nothing was everything; he was her life, her happiness. At the same time,he was her greatest fear,but not for herself. Her worry, her fear was for him.  
  
"Honey, I swear it was only one or two drinks. I think." Lydecker then proceeded to roll over and fall back asleep.  
  
Dammit! He had promised to stop drinking... oh, that was twenty years ago. 'God, I've missed him.'  
  
"No, Don. I wanted to talk to you about something else. Sweetie, I came back."  
  
It took a few moments for the fact that his dead wife was talking to him, telling him she was back, to sink in. He bolted to his feet, instantly sober. For the most part, after he threw up a few times and had a cup of coffee.  
  
"Love? What are you doing here?" He tenderly stroked her face, his own face free of all its usual wrinkles; he had nothing left to worry about, she was back. He could smile again.  
  
"I survived, Don. When you took me to the hospital, you thought it was just a gesture, but it worked. Only you didn't know. They told you, but you wouldn't listen. Too drunk, I guess." As she was talking, there were tears running down her cheeks, soft but happy. It was impossible, but here she was, talking to Don. Why hadn't she come back to this sooner?  
  
"I guess I was. I don't remember much of that time. I remember punching an officer, because he had said something about you."  
  
"I missed you, Deck. But I never came back, because I was afraid, since you obviously didn't care enough to come back."  
  
"Oh, no, honey. I loved you so much I couldn't stand it not to be true. I couldn't take it if it had been just a drunken fantasy." He hugged her tightly, tears of his own streaking his face.  
  
She backed up a few steps and made him look at her; she had a few questions herself. "Don, honey, what happened to the baby? I woke up, and they said you had taken it."  
  
Donald suddenly beamed at her; he had some good news for her too. "I've got a surprise for you, we have a beautiful daughter. She looks just like you, her name is..."  
  
"Wait, Don. I've got some news for you too." 


	5. chapter five

Nope, there was no uploading mistake. The slightest differences can make the largest changes.  
  
Now that she was actually telling him, she couldn't look at him. Not to see the disgust and hurt she knew was going to be there. "She's not exactly our daughter."  
  
"No, Ann - just because I made a few alterations, she's still ours. Our genes." It was impossible for Don to understand, Max was still a person, and why was Ann crying?  
  
"She's still mine, Don. She's just not yours."  
  
"What? You mean you're going to take her away from me? But I gave her a strong childhood, lessons she'll never forget..." Ann could tell the minute the knowledge dawned. It wasn't quite what she thought; there was no disgust in his face, only pain. How could she have done this?  
  
"I'm sorry, Don. You came home late one night, and I could tell you had been drinking. It made me so mad that after I got you taken care of, I had to go see what the attraction was. I left immediately and went to the first bar I could find. I'd never drunk a lot before, so it didn't take too many drinks for me to lose my senses. When I woke up, I was in a bed and it wasn't ours. Oh, Don, I'm so sorry…" She pleaded with him, as only she could, with her large, expressive brown eyes. But they were both interrupted as someone ran in.  
  
'How much farther? I have to be almost there, damnit! What if he doesn't know? Who else can I go to?' Before Max could turn another corner, she had to run across an alley - an alley containing some mysterious black vehicles. As the cars pulled out, they came to a screeching halt; Max had to jump on the hood to avoid running into them. As the vehicles pulled out again, they forget to look both ways, and two of the three hit an eighteen- wheeler. Max couldn't look back, she had to save Logan. She had finally found the cave, but with only nine minutes left. She didn't have time to waste, so she just ran in. Max was in too much of a rush to notice the condition of the people in the room; she just walked straight up to Deck and only nodded in the direction of the woman.  
  
"Look, Deck, no time to waste, so we'll just skip the pleasantries, okay?"  
  
Logan groaned as he sat on the counter next to the phone; clambering up had been a grueling experience he never wanted to relive. So, who to call? Sebastian had been working on the virus for a while; they had given him Max's blood sample a while back. It took him a small slice of forever to find speed dial two, but he finally did. 'The ringing is supposed to stop after a minute, right? When the person answers the phone? Dammit! Of all the times for him to be gone... Sam might know. But what's his speed dial number?'  
  
Max continued speaking, trying to ignore the tension her presence had caused. Especially the glare from Lydecker. "I need to know how to fix the virus. You've got to know something - you worked there for Christ's sake!"  
  
Donald couldn't believe it. His wife, with whom he was still very much in love, had cheated on him, and here was the proof, her very existence mocking him and Ann. He had to get her out. He laughed the poor bitter laugh that was the only thing he could feel right now. Could she be so naive, believing he would solve her problems, even though she had caused most of his? "So what? Now that my life's been ruined, why not fix Maxie's? Sure, I'll go whip up some miracle concoction so you can go live happily with your love, but your happiness would be pouring salt on the open wound. You'd be happy, Logan would be happy, my unfaithful wife could find happiness with some random guy, everyone but me would be happy." He thought about it for a moment, if Logan had died in her arms, saying it was all ok, she would get over it. Sure, it would take a few decades, but she would still come to terms with it. How to make her really suffer for the pain caused?  
  
"You know what? I'll tell you what the big secret is, so you can try and save him, only to have it not be in time. He'll die in your arms, the solution so close. Then you'll know some of my pain, and maybe you won't be so quick to come to me next time. Manticore has been developing the Balkan War virus, so all it'll take is some medicine. It's faster than the original, but only because it's superior."  
  
Max didn't bother waiting for the rest of the sentence; at last, she knew how to help Logan.  
  
"What do you mean, Dr. Carr's busy? Tell him it's an emergency, it's Logan Cale..."  
  
"Frankly, I don't care who it is, Mr. Cale." The receptionist would be damned before she interrupted an emergency case because some rich guy had a wart or whatever. "He's in the ER right now, there was a rather large accident downtown. A few Hummers collided with an 18 wheeler. Excuse him, but he has priorities." With that last remark, she hung up; she was getting tired of that shit.  
  
'Well, that was it then. Nothing else that I can do.' And with that final sane thought, he started the slow crawl towards his desk.  
  
Heart pumping, every beat bringing Logan closer to death, but at the same time, also closer to help. If only she could get there on time. 


	6. chapter six

Logan struggled across the room, making it at last to his desk. He couldn't take it. He could see where his future was going; even if Max did come up with the antidote, how could she ever come near him again? Their talks now were mere shadows of what they once had been, and with another close call like this it was doubtful that she would even show up. Their conversations would be limited to the phone. She might even go to Rafer, that son of a bitch. He opened the drawer and pulled out his gun.  
  
Max burst through the hospital doors, not even noticing the glass shards embedded in her arm. She didn't have time to worry about herself; only Logan was important now. She grabbed the young lady behind the desk, who looked more angry than anything. That was about to change. "I need the Balkan veterans' medicine NOW!"  
  
The nurse rolled her eyes; what was it with people and thoughtless requests today? "Well, miss, you need this thing called a prescription. And on this prescription is proof that you were in the war, and that you can have this medicine." The receptionist's eyes looked Max up and down, before returning to Max's face. "And you look a tad young to have been in the war. So I'm afraid my answer is go to hell."  
  
Max couldn't take this; what the hell was with people trying to slow her down today? She put a false grin on her face, and remarked in a valley girl accent, "Well, ma'am, how about I, like, take you there? And for a stop along the way, how about you, like, give me the goddamn medicine?"  
  
"Look, missy, no matter how stupid you act, you're not getting the medicine. Real veterans need that, not moronic druggies like you."  
  
Max thought of a quick, simple, easy solution, and was surprised she hadn't tried it first. After all, it was so obvious. Max threw the receptionist against the wall, and asked again. The nurse was in a much more giving mood after being put into a most dire situation, so Max was able to resume her run, this time with the cure.  
  
Logan's eyesight was getting blurry, and it was becoming harder and harder to control his hands. He still managed to get the clip in, even turned the safety off. This virus was pure agony, but it had been worth it to have that one perfect moment. He started to aim the gun, and as the door flew open, he put the gun in his mouth.  
  
Max's lungs were going to explode, but she was surprisingly happy. They had the antidote, they knew the secret. Now they could continue with a normal relationship. This time she used the elevator; she only made ten dents in it, too, showing an amazing amount of restraint. She ran into the apartment just to see Logan put a gun in his mouth.  
  
"Logan! NO!" she screamed; he couldn't, they were so close, so goddamn close...  
  
Logan turned his tear-streaked face toward her. Just seeing her again was a relief. But they could never live happily ever after; fate just liked hurting them too much to ever leave them alone. "Good-bye, Max. Saying I love you now seems trite, cliché even, but I must say it, if only for a little closure. Max, I love you, and wish I had been stronger, for you." And with that, he pulled the trigger.  
  
Max screamed with all her might, as if she could stop the bullet with pure sound. But it was mere hope, hope she never should have had, and as she arrived by his side and held him in his arms, she could see that he was already almost gone.  
  
***  
  
"What can I do?" He hated seeing her like this; she was so strong until something happened to her, and then all the walls came crashing down.  
  
"Stay with me..." How could he refuse her? She looked so much like a child, a child lost and in need. He would give anything to keep her happy.  
  
"I'm right here," he said. And he always would be, any time she needed him, he'd be there.  
  
"You won't leave?" He couldn't even if a second pulse hit, nothing could make him leave her like this.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere… No matter what, angel. Whenever you need." She was unconscious by the time he added his feelings to it, but he needed her to know even if she didn't remember.  
  
***  
  
He reached up with one arm to caress her cheek, such a simple act that before now could not be done. But nothing mattered when he was so close to death. "I'm sorry Max, I said I would stay, stay with you forever..." With his final words, his arm started falling to the floor... 


	7. 

Running Three  
  
…and his arm hit the floor with a heavy, dead thump.  
  
"Logan? Can you hear me? Stay here, don't move. Try and conserve your energy."  
  
Max took one last look at him before she ran out the door. Although she knew the elevator would annoy the hell out of her, speed was more important than her own feelings, and she jumped and smashed the lobby button with her fist. Only a few seconds had passed before she lost her patience, and started taking out her anger on the four metal walls.  
  
Logan was roused from his semi-conscious state when he heard muffled screeches and thumps coming from the elevator. Max was his only hope; if she didn't make it he was going to die. And Logan wasn't a man to just sit on the floor dying while waiting for his love to save him. He started making his way to the phone.  
  
She didn't have time to wait for the automatic doors to open; she figured the people living there could take a collection and repair them later. Where was Lydecker? Where did he live now, anyway? She was moving before her mind had even made a decision. Sometimes it was helpful to have a subconscious that was quicker than you knew. She was a super soldier, there was no reason for her to be sweating and breathing hard. Then she realized it was worry, not her physical condition. Why the fuck did they have to touch? How stupid could they be? Next time, she vowed to herself, we're going to watch an action movie. We just got carried away due to the sheer mushiness of that movie. She kept track of the time in her head. It seemed to be going by too fast. What happened to time going slow during bad moments? This had to be one of the worst moments, and there went time flying by. As Max passed the church she threw a quick prayer at it, hoping God took rush miracles.  
  
Less than a minute away, she ran into a sleazebag on a bike. He had the whole look going, greasy hair, permanently drunk... He could be Sketchy, only Max didn't know him, so she felt no need to be nice. As soon as he looked to be opening his mouth, she cut across his path, causing him to fall off his back. At the long string of obscenities he started screeching, Max smiled a victorious smile. 'Well, scratch having to listen to one dirtbag.'  
  
A Hispanic/African American woman walked into the Manticore drawing cave and looked around cautiously. Her eyes came to rest on a sleeping figure in the corner of the room.  
  
"Don?" Her voice was shaky; it was unbelievable, how nervous she was. He was her love, they were going to be reunited, what was there to be nervous about? Aside from rejection, anger, disappointment, and his lack of memory or love, nothing. But it was everything, he was her life, her happiness.  
  
"Antoinette, honey, I swear it was only one or two drinks. I think..." Lydecker then proceeded to roll over and fall back asleep.  
  
Damnit! He had promised to stop drinking... oh, that was twenty years ago. 'God, I've missed him.'  
  
"No, Don. I wanted to talk to you about something else. Sweetie, I came back."  
  
It took a few moments for the fact that his dead wife was talking to him, telling him she was back, to sink in. He bolted to his feet, instantly sober. For the most part, he was sober - after he threw up a few times and had a cup of coffee.  
  
Logan groaned as he sat on the counter next to the phone; climbing up had been a grueling experience that he never wanted to relive. So, who to call? Sebastian had been working on the virus for a while, and they had given him Max's blood sample a while back. It took him a small slice of forever to find speed dial two, but he finally did. 'The ringing is supposed to stop after a minute, right? When the person answers the phone? Dammit! Of all the times for him to be gone. Sam might know. Now all I have to do is remember his speed dial number...'  
  
"Love? What are you doing here?" He tenderly stroked her face, his own face free of all its usual wrinkles. He had nothing left to worry about, she had come back. He could smile again.  
  
"I survived, Don. When you took me to the hospital, you thought it was just a gesture, but it worked. Only you didn't know. They told you, but you wouldn't listen. Too drunk, I guess." As she was talking, there were tears running down her cheeks, soft but happy. It was impossible; here she was, talking to Don. Why hadn't she come back to this sooner?  
  
  
  
I'm sorry if there is any confusion, if any one needs an explanation either watch Run ,Lola Run or request an explanation and ill post it after I've finished posting the rest of the story. 


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